Floor conditioning



June 2:4, 1969I 'I V| JEPSON ET AL FLOOR CONDITIONING Sheet j of 4Original Filed Aug. 22, 1958 ,June 24, 1969 lQJEPsoN- ET Al- FLOORCONDITIONING Sheet Original Filed Aug'. 22, 1958 NNN @mm l. JEPSON ET AL'FLOOR CONDITIONING June 24, 1969 Sheet of 4 Original Filed Aug. 22,1958 N umr mwN @Si NNN ,SN

lJune 24, 1969 JEPSON rET AL 3,451,087

` FLOOR CONDITIONING original Filed Aug. 22, 1958 sheet 4 of 4 v 1,257?1,570/ I /ZQ 57 JNVENTORS.

@j 7M 741. n

United States Patent O 3,451,087 FLOOR CONDITIONING Ivar Jepson, SouthDuxbury, Mass., and Alfred F. Ernstberger, Wheaton, Ill., assignors toSunbean Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of IllinoisApplication Aug. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 219,848, now Patent No. 3,349,266,dated Oct. 24, 1967, which is a division of application Ser. No.756,710, Aug. 22, 1958, now Patent No. 3,068,503, dated Dec. 18, 1962.Divided and this application June 15, 1967, Ser. No. 646,378

Int. Cl. A471 11/16; H0211 5/04 US. Cl. 15-49 11 Claims ABSTRACT F THE.DISCLOSURE A floor conditioner having a motor supporting frame, a pairof horizontally spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on the frameand a pair of disc brushes secured to the lower ends of the spindlesbelow the frame. A plurality of supporting projections formed integrallyon the frame to support a motor field. An inverted U-shaped shroudoverlying the motor field and having the ends of its legs secured to theframe. A horizontally disposed armature extending through the motorfield and having its ends rotatably supported by journal bearings.

Specifically, the present application is a division of application Ser.No. 219,848, filed Aug. 28, 1962, now Patent No. 3,349,266, which is adivision of application Ser. No. 756,710, led Aug. 22, 1958, now PatentNo. 3,068,- 503 granted Dec. 18, 1962.

This invention relates to a floor conditioner and, more particularly, toan apparatus for scrubbing and polishing floors and for scrubbing rugs.

There are several general types of floor polishers or conditioners whichare known and currently used in this art. The types referred to aredistinguished by the number, shape and orientation of the polishingbrushes. Although some aspects of the invention have application to anytype of polisher, they will be shown and described in connection withthe type of floor polisher having a pair of horizontally disposedcounter rotating brushes. This type of polisher is generally preferredfor home use since it is small and compact in design and has thegreatest stability due to the fact that the reaction effect of thebrushes against the floor cancels itself as a result of the oppositelyrotating brushes.

In the conventional design of this type of floor polisher, the motor,which is drivingly connected to the brushes, is positioned immediatelyabove the `brushes and substantially coextensive with them. The motorframe generally takes the form of an oval as seen in plan View (FIG. 3)with the rounded ends coincident with the circular brushes. The housingor shroud for the motor is usually an inverted cup-shaped member withits lower lip in engagement with the periphery of the motor frame. Therelative positioning of the motor, frame, housing and polishing brusheshas placed definite limitations on the usefulness of the polisher.

Although the arrangement of the motor and housing directly above thedual brushes results in an efficient', compact design, it has theundesirable effect of producing a polisher of substantial height whichis diicult to slide under furniture and overhanging portions of cabinetsand the like. If the motor were to be removed from its position abovethe brushes to reduce this height, the polisher would be much moreybulky and other problems ice connected with protecting the electricmotor from the water used in scrubbing would be made more complex. Forthese reasons, most attempts at solving this problem have been concernedwith making the electric motor as flat as possible so that the height ofthe motor adds as little as possible to the over-all height of the floorpolisher. There are, however, obvious limitations to this approach sincea fairly powerful motor is needed to drive the floor polisher and itmust, of necessity, occupy a substantial amount of space in the verticaldirection. This limitation has prevented prior art floor polishers frombeing constructed so that they may polish under the overhanging portionsof kitchen cabinets and the like.

In view of the fact that most home floor polishers find most frequentuse in the kitchen, the importance of being able to polish under theoverhanging edges of cabinets cannot `be minimized. Since theoverhanging is normally less than four inches, it would be virtuallyimpossible to flatten an electric motor enough so that the motor wouldoccupy so little space above the brushes that the polisher unit could beslid under this overhang. It would be desirable to provide a floorconditioner which could polish under such overhanging portions ofcabinets to `scrub and polish the portions of the floor thereunder. Italso would be desirable to provide a floor conditioner which wouldpolish up to Walls and which would go under tables and chairs easily. Italso would be desirable in a floor conditioner to have simple and ruggedmotor mounting and commutator brush mounting structure along with aneffective 'bearing structure therefor.

It is Well known in the floor polisher art to provide support rollersfor the polisher to adapt the unit to the scrubbing and cleaning of rugsand fabrics. In order for a floor polisher to be useful and effective inscrubbing a rug, means must be provided to regulate the force appliedbetween the brushes and the rug surface. It has been found that it isextremely harmful to a rug to allow the full weight of the floorpolisher to urge the scrubbing brushes against the carpet surface. Forthis reason, the above mentioned rollers are employed to support part ofthe load of the floor polisher, thereby removing some of the weight fromthe scrubbing brushes.

In most instances the floor polisher will be used more frequently forpolishing rather than scrubbing rugs. Since these supporting rollers,for use in rug scrubbing, are only needed by the user of the applianceinfrequently, it would be desirable to have the supporting structure forthese rollers as simple and compact as possible.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a new andimproved floor conditioner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a floor conditioner inwhich the 'brushes are mounted extending to the front edge of the motorframe and the motor and housing therefor are mounted toward the vrear ofthe frame so that the front edge of the frame and brushes may move underoverhanging cabinets and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a oor conditioner havingsupporting rollers for rug scrubbing which are easily assembled to anddisassembled from the floor conditioner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a floor conditioner havingremovable rollers for supporting the unit for rug scrubbing, there beingseparate front and rear roller units which assemble to the frame byinserting into sockets therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simplified motor andsupporting frame therefor in a floor conditioner in which a singleunitary casting provides the 3 support for the armature, the motorfield, the motor brushes and the gearing associated with the iioorconditioner.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a floor conditionerhaving a frame provided with a cradle portion for supporting the motorfield which is held on the cradle by a strap' together withself-aligning bearings for the armature shaft. The bearings are mountedin gear housings in the frame and have worm gears meshing with gears onbrush spindles. The bearings are held by covers of the gear boxhousings, and seals of elastic, grease resistant plastic lit into slotsat ends of the housings to retain grease in the housings. Brush holdersare held in seats in the frame by single screws.

A further object of the invention is to provide a floor conditionerhaving a motor casing secured to the frame by spring hooks.

`Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description of a floor conditioner Iforming a specificembodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings,in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a oor conditioner forming one embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, vertical section of the conditioner shown in FIG.1, and taken perpendicular to the armature shaft through the portionincluding the commutator brushes;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, plan view of the conditioner with the motorhousing and portions of brush holders and gear housing cut away;

F'IG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 4-4 FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevation of the handle of thefloor conditioner with portions thereof shown in section;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3showing the conditioner with a rug cleaning attachment;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, horizontal section taken along line 7-7 of FIG.6; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the rug cleaning attachment.

The invention provides a iloor conditioner in which the motor and itshousing are set back from the front edge of the motor frame so that theportion of the frame and brushes thereunder can be moved underoverhanging cabinets and the like. The forwardly extending portion ofthe frame is substantially flat and as low as possible in height. Theconditioner has quickly detachable brushes and quickly detachablepolishing pads. A pair of simple adjustable supporting attachments areused to support the conditioner when used to scrub carpets. A singleunitary cast frame is employed to support all the elements of the motor,the gearing, the 'bearings and the handle. The motor field is supportedby a cradle portion of the Iframe and held in place by a U-shaped strapwhich serves t0 guide cooling air through the eld. The covers for thegear boxes having springs for holding self-aligning bearings in bearingseats in the frame. The covers also press molded seals of neoprene intoslots in the frame .to seal grease in the gear box. The motor housing issecured to the frame by leaf spring hooks firmly holding the cover onthe frame.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the floor conditioner showntherein includes a pair of oppositely driven disc brushes 10 carried bya frame 11 and driven by an electric motor 12. The motor 12 is enclosedby means of an inverted cup-shaped housing or casing 13. This assemblageis manipulated by a handle 14. The handle 14 comprises an elongatedshaft portion 15a and yoke shaped portion 15b which serves to connectthe handle to the polisher frame. The yoke portion 15b` is constructedfrom channel shaped material which is formed in the shape of a U andconnected to the lower end of the shaft portion 15a by welding. The endsof the legs of. yoke portion 15b are provided with means for pivotallyrelating the handle and the motor frame 11 as will be explained indetail below. The frame 11 is of a generally inverted cup-shapedconfiguration having a depending peripheral flange. Frame 11 is aonepiece die casting which serves to support all the parts of thepolisher as well as providing gear boxes for the transmission meansconnecting the motor 12 to the polishing brushes 10.

The motor 12 is provided with a laminated iron eld 16 which is supportedon frame 11 by a cradle structure formed by upwardly extendingsupporting lugs or posts 17 and 18. The lugs 17 engage shoulders on thefield 16 and positively lock the eld against rotation relative to thefield. The outermost lugs 18, as viewed in FIG. 4, engage the ends ofthe eld 16 and prevent endwise movement thereof. The two more centrallylocated lugs, as viewed in FIG. 4, have concave upper surfaces andengage the periphery of the eld 16 to support it thereon.

For the purpose of holding the field xedly in the cradle structureformed by the lugs 17 and 18, a U-shaped shroud or strap 19 is employed.The bight portion of Strap 19 engages the upper semicylindrical portionof the field 16. The ends of the legs of the U-shaped strap 19 areprovided with outwardly extending flanges 19a which are secured toIframe 11 by screws 20.

The motor 12 has an armature 25 which is mounted on a shaft 26. Thearmature shaft extends transversely of the frame 11 so that the ends ofthe shaft 26 are located above and slightly to the rear of the axes ofthe polishing brushes 10. To support the armature shaft "bearings andthe other gearing and bearings associated with the floor polisher, agear housing 32 in cast integrally with'the frame 11 and extendsupwardly therefrom. The housing 32 has an outer peripheral wall 32a anda generally horizontally extending floor portion 32b. The floor portion32b serves to dene the lower wall of a chamber 32e` within which themotor bearings and reduction gearing of the polisher are received.

The armature sha-ft 26 is supported by means of a pair of spherical orself-aligning journal bearings 27. The gear housing wall 32h is formedwith an upwardly facing spherical bearing seat 28. The chamber 32a isfilled with a heavy lubricating grease and is closed by means of a coverplate 30 which is secured to the walls 32a by means of assembly screws31. Suitable gasketing between the cover 30 and the walls 32a preventsleakage of lubricant thereform. The cover plate 30 not only serves as aclosure for the gear chamber 32e` but also mounts the meansfor retainingbearing 27 in position in bearing seat 23. A U-shaped leaf spring 29`has bight portion riveted to the bottom face of cover plate 30 with itslegs extending downwardly to bias the bearing 27 against its seat 28 andlock it into the bearing slot to prevent bearing rotation.

To absorb the thrust on the ends of the armature shaft and provideadjustment of the longitudinal positioning and adjustment of the play inthe armature shaft 26, adjustablethrust screws 33 are threadedlyreceived in bores 3S tapped in the walls 32a of the gear housing. Thescrew 33 is locked in position by means of nut 34 which is threadedthereon. The adjustment'screw 33 is provided with a recess for receivinga thrust bearing 33"made of bronze or other suitable bearing material.

To permit entry of armature shaft 26 into gear housing 32C, an opening32d is formed in the wall 32a. .To avoid binding or interference betweenthe shaft 26'andthe sides of opening 32d, the opening is considerablylarger than the shaft diameter. A gasket or molded seal 36 is ernployedto seal the space between shaft. 26 and the sides of opening 32d so thatlubricant will not escape from the gear chamber 32c.rThe molded seal 36may be made of a polymerized chloroprene compound or the Alikeresilieritmaterial. The portions of walls 32a adjacent the openings 32d areprovided with slots 37 whichfreceive the peri-pheral portions of themoldedseals 36. The sperical bearings 27 fit tightly against the moldedseals 36 dellecting them outwardly and assuring sealing engagement withthe walls of slots 37. The upper edges of the molded seals 36 extendabove the tops of walls 32a so that the covers 30 tend to compress themolded seals for good sealing engagement.

For the purpose of cooling the motor 12, an axial liow fan 45 (FIG. 4)is iixed to the armature shaft adjacent one ends of the armature 25. Thestrap or shroud 19 which was described above as retaining the field inassembled relation to the motor frame 11, also serves to direct thecooling air moved by fan 45 through the field and armature structure. Tobest accomplish this purpose, the semicylindrical portion of the shroud19` is positioned close to the path defined by the ends of the blades offan 45.

To assure axial ow of the air at the bottom of the fan which is notclosely embraced by the shroud 19, the frame casting 11 is formed with apair of integral wedge shaped projection 11a (FIG. 4). The twoprojections 11a cooperate to form a concave wall extending between thevertical portions of shroud 19 in closely spaced relation to the lowerhalf of the path dened by the ends of the blades of fan 45. Thus, theshroud 19 and the projections 11a define a circular opening within whichthe fan 45 is mounted for rotation. The fan 45, as viewed in FIG. 4,moves the air from right to left, cooling the entire motor 12.

At the right hand of the armature windings, there is provided acommutator 46 supplied with power from carbon brushes 47. To mount eachof the carbon brushes 47 for slidable movement radially of thecommutator 46,

4a channel-shaped brass sleeve 48 is provided which is received withinthe plastic brush holder 51. The brush holder 51 is molded with anelongated recess 51a which opens toward the commutator and snuglyencloses the sleeve 48. To retain the sleeve 48 in assembled relation inthe recess 51a the brush holder 51, a tab 53 extends outwardly from theend of the sleeve most remote from the commutator 46. The base of therecess 51a has an opening 54 extending outwardly therethrough, The tab53 extends through the opening 54 and is bent over on the outside ofbrush holder 51 to prevent rleative movement between the brush holder 51and the sleeve 48.

The sleeve 48 not only provides a suitable bearing surface for thecarbon brush 47 to slide upon, but it serves to retain the carbon brushassembled to the brush holder 51 and to prevent the electricalconnectors from engaging the commutator as wear occurs in the brush aswill be pointed out below. The electrical connections between the fieldcoil leads and the carbon brushes 47 are accomplished by means of a pairof lead connectors 50. The outer ends of the carbon brushes are formedwith cylindrical bosses 47a of reduced diameter. Each connector 50 has achannel-shaped :portion 49 having side walls 49a above and below theends of brush 47. The base or center of portion 49 has a perforation toreceive the cylindrical boss 47a. To assure good electrical conductionbetween the connector 50 and the brush 47 as well as to retain the partsin assembled relation, the walls 49a of the connector 50 are bentinwardly so that they grip the end lportion of brush 47. To provideclearance yfor the lowermost of the walls 49a, the channel-shaped sleeve48. has a longitudinally extending groove 48a in its base portion as canbe best seen in FIG. 4.

To bias the brush 47 into engagement with commutator 46, a helicalspring 52 is received within the sleeve 48. One end of the spring 52seats against the bottom of the recess 51a in brush holder 51. The outerend of the spring 52 encircles the cylindrical boss 47a and is inengagement with the lead connector 50. Thus, the spring 52 also -biasesthe lead connector 50 into engagement with the brush 47.

The upper face of the brush holder 51 has a slot 56 extending throughthe wall to recess 51a so thatthere is clearance for the outwardlyextending end of the connector 50 to move longitudinally of the Ibrushholder 51.

The slot 56 is coincident with the mouth of the channelshaped sleeve 48so that the connector 50 may extend outside the brush holder and slidelongitudinally thereof as wear occurs to the brushes 47. To prevent theconnector 50 from sliding completely out of the sleeve 48 and intoengagement with the commutator 46 after the carbon brush 47 has wornsubstantially, the sleeve 48 is formed with a pair of inwardly extendingstop members 5S. When the brush holder 51 is not in assembled positionon the motor frame or when the carbon brush 47 has been almostcompletely worn away, the helical spring 52 will tend to urge thconnector 50 out of the sleeve 48. The stop members 55 engage the leadconnector 50 `and limit the action of the helical spring 52 in biasingthe lead connector 50 outwardly from the brush holder.

The brush holders 51 are assembled to the frame casting 11 by means ofmounting projections 57 (FIG. 3) which are molded integrally therewithand extend sidewardly therefrom. The projections 57 have longitudinallyextending slots 58 through Which assembly screws 59 extend. To positionthe lbrushes on a diametrical line through the commutator, the frame 11has a pair of upwardly extending post members 61 cast integrallytherewith. Extending across the top of' post members l61 are grooves 61awhich are of suitable width to snugly receive the brush holders 51. Toinsure positive seating at the proper height, the grooves 61a are deepenough to provide clearance Ibetween the posts `61 and the brush holders51 while the brush holders 51 `seat against the tops of posts 61 on theside projections 57 and the longitudinally extending shoulder portionsSlb which extend along the length of both sides of the lbrush holders.Assem'bly screws 59 for the brush holders are received in threadedopenings in the upper faces of posts 61 as can best be seen in FIG. 4.One of the screws 59 also serves to assemble a notched conductor holdingclip 62 in position against the top face of one of the brush holders 51.The clip 62 has a notch 62a in its outwardly extending end to secure oneof the field leads therein to prevent its interference with the rotatingmember. To positively lock the brush holders 51 in a radial directionrelative to the commutator 46, downwardly extending protuberances 63 areformed on the inner ends of each of the lbrush holders 51. Eachprotuberance 63 engages the inner face of post 61. The slots 58 forassembly screws 59 cooperate with the protuberances 63 to permit easyassembly and disassembly of the brush holders 51 to the frame 11. Todisassemble one fo the brush holders 51, its assembly screw 59 need onlybe loosened slightly so that the brush holder may be elevated`sufficiently to disengage the protuberance `63 from the face of thesupport post l61. The brush holder may then lbe slid rearwardly awayfrom the commutator thus disenagaging the side projections 57 from thescrew 59.

From the above description, it is clear that armature shaft 26 issupported by means of two spaced spherical journal bearings 27 andadjustable thrust bearings 33'. The portions of shaft 26 between thejournal bearings and the thrust bearings have worms 71 machined thereon.To rotatably support the polishing or scrubbing brushes 10, verticallyextending shafts or spindles 73 are mounted in frame 11 immediately infront of the worms 71. To complete the gear reduction between thearmature shaft 26 and brush supporting spindles 73, `worm gears 72 arestaked to the upper end of spindles 73 and rotate in engagement with theworms 71 on armature shaft 26.

The bottom wall 32b of the gear chamber 32e has an integrally castbearing supporting sleeve 75 extending downwardly therefrom. Elongatedjournal bearings 74 are press fitted into the bearing supports 75 andsupport the spindles 73 for rotation therein.

To absorb the axial thrust on spindle 73, there is provided a thrustwasher 77 at the brush end of the journal bearing 74. The felt washer 76is seated in an annular recess in the bottom wall 32b of the gearchamber 32C. The felt Washer 76 bears against the lower face of wormIgear 72. The worm gear and spindle assemblies are secured in place forrotation in journal bearing 74 by means of a C-ring 78 which snaps intoan annular groove in spindle 73 to prevent withdrawal of the spindleshaft upwardly through the bearing 74. The thrust 4washer 77 isassembled between the C-ring 78 and the lower face of journal bearing74.

The portion of the spindle 73 extending below the C- ring 78 is providedwith flattened portions 79 which serve to key the brush against rotationrelative to the spindle 73. The brushes 10 have 'backs 80 from which thebristles extend. The backs of the brushes have assembly holes 81 formedtherein which have llat sided portions to cooperate with the flattenedportions 79 of the spindles 73 to prevent relative rotation between thebrushes and the driving shafts.

To complete the assembly of the brushes 10` to the spindles 73, a pairof sheet metal brackets 82 are secured to the underside of the brushbacks 80. These brackets lock the brushes 10 against axial movementrelative to the spindles 73. The sheet metal bracket 82 resembles inform two crossed U-shaped brackets joined at their bight portions withtheir legs extending upwardly in spaced parallel relation. To secure thelbracket to the bottom of brush back 80, a pair of legs 82a of one ofthe U-shaped portions is secured to the underside of the brush back bymeans of screws or rivets 83. The bracket 82 is further supported by athird leg 82b (FIG. 4) which lits tightly into a slot 84 in the bottomof back 80. The leg opposite to 82b, 82C, is unsupported at its end andserves to lock the brush 80 to the spindle 73. The locking engagementbetween the leg 82c and the spindle 73 is accomplished through thelateral displacement of an opening 82d which is formed in a horizontallyextending portion of leg 82o. The lower ends of spindles 73 have annulargrooves 73a formed thereon. The opening 82d in the leg 82C is ofsuicient size to receive the end of spindle 73 when the opening andshaft are placed in alignment. The hole 82d is, however, displacedlaterally from alignment with the hole 81 in the brush back 80. Thus, tobring the holes 81 and 82d into alignment, it is necessary to deect theleg 82C by squeezing the U- shaped portion comprising legs 82b and 82C.After the brush is assembled to the spindle 73 and the squeezing forcereleased from leg 82C, it tends to deflect to its unbiased position.Under such conditions, a locking portion 82e along the edge of opening82d snaps into the annular groove 73a to lock the brush 10 on thespindle. To remove the brush 10 from the spindle 73, it is merelynecessary to deflect the leg 82C to the left as seen in FIG. 4 until theopening 82d becomes aligned `with the spindle 73.

To enable the brush to be rapidly assembled to the spindle 73, a cammingportion or bevel 86 is placed 0n the lower end of the spindle 73. Thebrush may then be assembled to the spindle without squeezing inwardly onthe leg 82C. By merely moving the brush axially of the spindle 73, thecamming portion or bevel 86 deflects the opening 82d until it becomesaligned with the spindle 73. IIf the brush continues to be moved axiallyof the spindle 73, the opening 82d and its locking portion 82e becomealigned with the annular groove 73a at which time the locking portion82e snaps into engagement with the groove 73a.

It is sometimes desirable to secure polishing pads to the floor polisherto be rotated by the spindles 73. To permit the -most simpleconstruction possible for the polishing pads, they have been mounted bymeans of merely snapping them to the face of the brushes 10. Each padcomprises a circular polishing member 92 having a sna-p member 93secured to its midpoint. The bracket 82 has ing portion of the frame 11has been made possible by placing the motor rearwardly of the spindles73 and utilizing a housing 13 which conforms as `closely as possible tothe contour of the motor.

A protective rubber or plastic bumper covers the periphery of the frame11. The bumper has a central groove which engages a ridge on the frame11 to maintain it in position thereon. To position the housing 13relative to the frame 11, a plurality of upwardly extending shoulderprotuberances 96 and 97 are provided. The lower periphery of the housing13 rests on shoulders 96a and 97a to space the sheet metal housing 13above the metal frame 11, thereby minimizing the vibration noise whichmight be produced between these two members. Although some of theVentilating air is taken in and exhausted through the space between theframe 11 and the housing 13, additional air inlet slots 98 (FIG. 4) andair outlets slots 99 are formed in the housing 13. The portion of thehousing coextensive with the shroud 19 fits fairly closely over theshroud so that the portions of the housing extending beyond the ends ofthe shroud act as extensions of the shroud in guiding air to and fromthe motor.

To secure the housing 13 to the frame 11, a pair of inverted U-shapedhooks of spring sheet metal are employed. As can be best seen in FIG. 4,the ends of the housing 13 are engaged by hook members 105:1 whichextend inwardly from the bight portion of each of the U- shaped hooks105. Suitable slots 106 are formed in the housing 13 to receive thehooks 105e. The downwardly extending legs of the U-shaped hooks eachhave hookshaped portions 105C extending inwardly from their lower ends.Each end of the frame 11 has two downwardly extending openings 109provided to receive the hook portions 1050. The inner edge of each ofthe holes 109 has a transversely extending rib 108 formed therein. Theinner ends of the hook portions 105C snap into assembled engagement withthe ribs 108. The openings 109 have shouldered portions or recesses 110which serve to support the portions 105d of the U-shaped hooks 105 aSthey are being assembled to the housing 13. The assembly hooks 105 aredesigned with their U-shape so that the handle mounting means may enterthe housing 13 between the legs of the U-shaped hooks. The opening orspace between the legs of each of the hooks is designated 105e. Theportion of housing 13 adjacent each of the openings 105e is providedwith a corresponding opening in alignment with and slightly larger thanopening 105e for the handle mounting means to extend therethrough. Tolessen the possibility of damage to the insulation on the electricalconductors which enter the housing through one of the openings 105e, theedges of the openings 105e are provided with rolled edges 105].

To mount the handle 14 pivotally on the frame 11, trunnions 121 havingenlarged heads 121a are spot welded to the lower ends of the handle yoke15b. The inwardly extending ends of trunnions 121 are formed withgrooved portions 121b which serve to locate the trunnions against axialdisplacement. To rotatably support the trunnions 121, the frame 11 isprovided with upwardly facing bearing seats 122. The grooved portions121b are received in the bearing seats 122 and secured therein by meansof leaf spring straps 123. The straps 123 are secured in assembledrelation to the frame 11 by means of screws 124. The trunnions 121 andthe associated handle yoke 15b permit the handle to be rotated throughan angle of slightly more than 90. As viewed in FIG. 2, the yoke 15b maybe rotated to the right until it engages the frame 11. In this positionwith the yoke rotated down against the frame 11, the conditioner may beconveniently hung on a wall hook with the brushes :against the Wall.When lifted in this position, the center of gravity of the frame, motor,brushes, etc. is located in such a position to maintain the framerotated against the yoke 15b in the convenient position for wallmounting. The upper end of the handle has a hole 126 in the back thereofto permit the hanging of a handle on a nail or a hook on the/ Wall. Forstorage on the floor, the handle may be moved forwardly to an overcenterposition just forward of its vertical position, the limits of which aredetermined by raised stops 127 provided on frame 11 and engaged by thelower ends of the yoke 15b when the handle is moved to its overcenterposition and not engaged when the handle is in any of its positions tothe rer of this forward position.

A power cord 131 extends from a resilient grommet type strain relievingsleeve 130 secured to the handle 14, and insulated conductors 132 of thecord travel down the hollow handle and along the inside of one leg ofthe yoke 15b where they are held by a cardboard retainer 133 held in thechannel-like yoke by spring clips 134. The conductors are wrapped onecomplete turn around the adjacent trunnion before passing them throughopening 105e in one of the hooks 105 and are clamped to the frame by aclip 135 (FIG. 3). The ends of the conductors are connected to leads 136of the motor by known means. The portions of the conductors 134extending through the hook 105 are protected with an insulating, wearresistant sleeve. The conductors are wound around the trunnion 121 in adirection such that pivotal movement of the handle 14 rearwardly fromits extreme forward position tends to unwind the conductors so that theyare slackened rather than tensioned.

For storing the exterior portion of the cord 131, hooks 141 and 142 aremounted in the handle 14. The lower hook 142 is xed to the handle 14 byscrews or the like while the hook 141 is mounted on a cup-shaped bracket143 (FIG. 5) secured rigidly to the handle by screws 144. The hook 141is pivotally mounted on the bracket by a rivet 145. To obtain a detentaction in the pivotal mounting of hook 141, a curved spring Washer 140is secured against the inner face of cup-shaped bracket 143 by means ofthe rivet 145. The Cup-shaped bracket 143 has a pair of detent buttons143a extending outwardly therefrom above and below the rivet 145. Thehook 141 is provided with detent depressions 141a which receive buttons143a to restrain the hook 141 against rotation relative to cupshapedbracket 143. The detent buttons 143a are of such height that the springwasher 140 permits the bracket 141 to move outwardly and the rivet 145to move axially a suicient distance to disengage the buttons 143a fromthe depressions 141a. The bracket 141 may then be positioned in either acord retaining, upwardly directed position or cord releasing downwardlyprojecting position.

For scrubbing rugs with the floor conditioner described above, it isnecessary that the brushes do not support the entire weight of the oorconditioner. If the brushes supportl the entire Weight of theconditioner, the extremely high resistance to rotation caused by the napof the rug causes damage to the rug and possible overheating of theconditioner. To adapt the conditioner for rug scrubbing operations, apair of identical front and rear attachments are secured to theconditioner and support the Weight of the conditioner. Since the rugscrubbing attachment is used infrequently, the attachment embodied inthe instant invention has been designed to be as small and compact aspossible for convenient storage. This result is achieved by making theattachment in two parts, each ofwhich is small in size and easilyassembled to the lioor conditioner. There is, therefore, a rug scrubbingattachment 151 for supporting the front and one for supporting the rearportion of the motor frame 11. For the purpose of mounting eachattachment 151 in supporting relation to the frame 11, a pair of guides153 are cast integrally in the downwardly extending flange of the frame11 as can be best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. The guides 153 extendvertically and are L-shaped in cross section. The inwardly directedL-shaped guides cooperate with the flange of frame 11 to form verticalsockets within which the attachments 151 extend.

'The attachment 151 has a rigid, angular mounting plate 152 having atang portion 152a insertable into the vertical socket in the frame 11. Aleaf spring 154 riveted to the plate 152 presses against the flange ofthe frame to frictionally retain the attachment in position in theframe. Ribs 155 and 156 integral with the frame 11 extend into pressedgrooves 152b in the plate 152 to guide and maintain the verticalalignment of tang portion 152:1 when assembled to frame 11. Tabs 152Care bent oppositely from tang portion 152a and bear against the bottomsof the guides 153 to limit insertion of the tang portions 152g into thesockets in frame 11.

To provide a vertical height adjustment in the attachment 151, a rigidplate 157 is secured against the plate 152 by means of a wing headedscrew 158. The surface of plate 157 adjacent to plate 152 is providedwith keying ribs 157a which cooperates with grooves 152b to guide theplate 157 along a straight line when its position is adjusted relativeto plate 152. The plate 157 is provided with a slot 157b through whichthe wing headed screw 158 extends into a tapped hole 152d in the plate152. A pair of wooden rollers 159 are mounted for rotation on the plate157 by means of an axle member 161. The lower end of plate 157 has apair of spaced parallel arms 157e which have holes formed therein forreceiving the axle 161. To maintain the rollers =159 and the plate 157in assembled relation to the axle 161, the ends of the axle are groovedto receive slotted spring washers 160 which are snapped into the grooves161a. The plate 157 has a number of scale lines 162 stamped along oneedge so that the front and rear attachments 151 may be adjusted to thesame height. The scale lines 162 may be aligned with the edge 163 of theplate 152. -Frorn the above description it is evident that theattachments 151 may be readily inserted in place in the assembly socketsprovided in the motor frame 11. The cooperating guides and grooves onthe frame 11 and the tang portion 152a assure a rigid connection betweeneach attachment and the frame 11. Since the rug scrubbing supportingstructure includes no connecting means between the front and backrollers other than the motor frame 11, the removable portions of theattachment are extremely simple and compact in construction.

Although there has been illustrated and described a preferred embodimentof the present invention, it will be understood that various changes andmodications may occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended in theappended claims to cover all those changes and modications which fall inthe true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. A door conditioner comprising a motor supporting frame, a pair ofhorizontally spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frameand having a pair of disc brushes secured to their lower ends below saidframe, a plurality of supporting projections formed integrally with saidframe and extending upwardly therefrom, a horizontally disposedarmature, journal bearings for rotatably supporting said armature, apair of said projections having upwardly facing bearing seats forreceiving said armature bearings, a motor eld surrounding said armatureand supported by a plurality of said projections which engage theperiphery and the ends of said field, an inverted U-shaped shroudoverlying said eld and having the ends of its legs secured to saidframe, and gearing means drivingly connecting said armature shaft 'andsaid vertical spindles.

Z. A oor conditioner comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spacedvertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and having a pair ofdisc brushes secured to their lower ends below said frame, a motorhaving an armature and a field, gearing means drivingly connecting saidmotor and said vertical spindles, said supporting frame being aone-piece casting, a pair of upwardly facing recesses in said framehousing said gearing means, said armature shaft supported in a pair ofjournal bearings with the ends of said shaft extending into saidrecesses, upwardly facing pockets in the walls of said recesses forsupporting said journal bearings, plate means closing said recesses toform a pair of sealed gear chambers, means mounted n said plate meansand engaging said journal bearings to prevent vertical displacement ofsaid bearings in said pockets and means mounting said field on saidframe.

3. A floor conditioner comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spacedvertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and having a pair ofdisc brushes secured to their lower ends below said frame, a motorhaving an armature and a field, gearing means drivingly connecting saidmotor and said vertical spindles, said supporting frame being aone-piece casting, a pair of upwardly facing recesses in said framehousing said gearing means, said armature having an armature shaftsupported in a pair of journal bearings with the ends of said shaftextending into said recesses, upwardly facing pockets in the walls ofsaid recesses for supporting said journal bearings, plate means closingsaid recesses to form a pair of sealed gear chambers, means mounted onsaid plate means and engaging said journal bearings to prevent verticaldisplacement of said bearings in said pockets, and an inverted U-shapedshroud overlying said eld and having the ends of the legs of saidU-shaped shroud secured to said frame to retain said field on saidframe.

4. A floor conditioner comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spacedvertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and having a pair ofdisc brushes secured to their lower ends below said frame, a motormounted on said frame and having an armature shaft, gearing meansdrivingly connecting said motor and said vertical spindles, a pair ofupwardly facing recesses in said frame housing said gearing means, apair of journal bearings supporting said armature shaft, the ends ofsaid armature shaft extending into said recesses, plate means closingsaid recesses to form a pair of sealed gear chambers, upwardly facingpockets in the walls of said recesses for supporting said journalbearings, flat gasket members sealing the armature shaft where it enterssaid recesses, and grooves in the walls of said recess for receiving theedges of said gasket members.

5. A floor conditioner comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spacedvertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and having a pair ofdisc brushes secured to their lower ends below said frame, a motormounted on said frame and having an armature shaft, gearing meansdrivingly connecting said armature shaft and said vertical spindles, apair of upwardly facing recesses in said frame housing said gearingmeans, plate means closing said recesses to form a pair of sealed gearchambers, openings in said gear chambers adjacent said plate meansthrough which the ends of said armature shaft extend, the edges of saidopenings being grooved, gasket means sealing said openings and havingthe edges thereof received in said grooves with said plate meansengaging said gasket means ,A x

drivingly connecting said armature shaft and said vertical spindles, apair of sealed gear chambers on said frame for housing said gearingmeans, a pair of journal bearings mounted on said chambers to supportsaid armature shaft, openings in said chambers through which the ends ofsaid armature shaft extend, gasket means sealing said opening, the edgesof said openings being grooved to receive the edges of said gaskets, andsaid journal bearings engaging said gaskets and biasing them intosealing engagement with the edges of said opening.

7. A floor conditioner as set forth in claim 6 wherein said gearchambers have plate means closing access openings in said chambers, saidplate means engaging said gaskets along portions of their periphery andforcing said gaskets into sealing engagement with the grooved edges ofthe first mentioned openings.

8. A door conditioner comprising a motor supporting frame, a motormounted on said frame, a pair of horizontally spaced vertical spindlesrotatably mounted on and extending below said frame, gearing meansdrivingly interconnecting said motor and said vertical spindles, a pairof disc brushes secured to the lower ends of said pair of said verticalspindles below said frame, an inverted cup-shaped housing mounted onsaid frame and enclosing said motor and said gearing, assembly slots onopposite sides of said housing, openings in the frame adjacent the loweredge of said housing, inverted Y-shaped assembly clips having hooks attheir upper ends which engage said assembly slots, parallel resilientlegs extending outwardly from the spaced lower ends of each of saidclips, the outer ends of said legs engaging the edges of said openingsto retain said housing in engagement with said frame.

9. A floor conditioner as set forth in claim 8 having a handle with abifurcated portion secured to said frame by a pair of inwardly directedtrunnions, bearing portions for said trunnions mounted wthin saidhousing, said housing having a trunnion opening in alignment with thespace between the lower ends of each Y-shaped assembly clip, saidtrunnions extending through said trunnion openings and said spaces insaid clips.

10. A floor conditioner comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spacedvertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and having a pair ofdisc brushes secured to their lower ends below said frame, a motor,gearing means drivingly connecting said motor and said verticalspindles, said supporting frame being a one-piece casting, a pair ofupwardly facing cup-shaped portions of said frame housing said gearingmeans, plate means closing the mouths of said cup-shaped portions toform a pair of sealed gear chambers, said motor having an armature withar horizontally extending shaft, the ends of said shaft extending intosaid chambers, journal bearings supporting said shaft, upwardly facingrecesses in walls of said cup-shaped portions for supporting saidjournal bearings, field means for said motor, said frame having aplurality of integrally formed projections for supporting said fieldmeans against rotation and displacement, an inverted cupshaped housingsupported on said one-piece casting and enclosing said motor and saidupwardly facing cup-shaped gear housings, said frame being formed with apair of openings at the outer edge of each of said gear chambers,resilient hook-shaped retaining means engaging said openings and saidinverted cup-shaped housing to retain said housing in engagement withsaid supporting frame.

11. A floor conditioner comprising a motor supporting frame, a pair ofhorizontally spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frameand having a pair of disc brushes secured to their lower ends below saidframe, a plurality of supporting projections formed integrally with saidframe and extending upwardly therefrom, a horizontally disposedarmature, a pair of said projections having upwardly facing bearingseats for receiving said armature 10 sald cup-shaped houslng to securesaid housmg to said frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,877,951 9/1932 Norris 15-502,258,165 10/1941 Sassano 15-49 2,683,884 7/1954 Kohl 15-49 EDWARD L.ROBERTS, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R.

